Stuant Gregory IS IT AN ADDICTION?

Five-Time Dakar Malle Moto racer  

- Willem Avenant

It’s one of the most grueling off-road races on the planet. Two full weeks of dunes, rocks, mud, and insanely long hours on the motorcycle—all while competing against the best dirt riders in the world. That’s why many call the Dakar Rally the “Mount Everest” of off-road races.

While the challenge of Dakar continues to attract the top factory race teams in the world—like Honda, Husqvarna, KTM, and GASGAS—there’s still a core of competitors who take on Dakar with no support at all. It’s one thing to blast a bike for eight hours and chill in the bivouac with a home-cooked meal and a warm trailer to rest in, but those who enter the race in the “Malle Moto” division are basically on their own: no trailers, no trainers, and no mechanics.

With those added challenges, most can see how someone might want to take on the Malle Moto challenge once or maybe twice in a lifetime and then find something easier to enjoy. But South African Stuart Gregory is set to race his fifth Dakar in the Malle Moto division for 2024. It may not be surprising, however, given the 45-year-old’s passion for racing. He has two silver class finishes at Romaniacs Rally, ridden 15 Roof of Africa races, and taken first place in the Sea 2 Sky Turkey race.

We caught up with Stuart before some Dakar training in Namibia to get some insight into why he’s going back to Dakar as a Malle Moto competitor.

What made you want to do Dakar?